🔗 Share this article

Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

That result may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences

Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average

Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season

Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the top team?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses occurred in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant

Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown

While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, although a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 teams are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in LA

Both have won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest

Each could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are truly two of the best sides in the NFL

The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year so far

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards